Meg pushed herself up on the gurney. “Bring them in.”

“All of them?”

“Better all together than one at a time.”

The nurse smiled and opened the door.

Michael entered the room first, his smile forced. “I knew you liked attention, Meg . . . but this is extreme.”

Ryder smacked him, kissed her cheek. “How are you feeling?”

“Better.”

Val stood behind his sister and Mrs. Masini. The older woman’s painful expression stuck somewhere inside of her.

“You gave us quite a scare,” Gabi said from the foot of the bed.

“Sorry.”

“What happened? How did you get back there?”

“Took a wrong turn.” Her gaze met Val’s, his eyes narrowed as if he was searching her words for the truth.

Michael sat on the edge of the bed. “Was the dancing too much?”

That and she had the shit scared out of her. The anxious faces, Mrs. Masini’s in particular, kept her from blurting out the encounter with the hooded man. “M-must have been. I’m sorry for all the trouble.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Meg,” Mrs. Masini said.

Meg glanced at the hospital clock with a frown. “It’s after two in the morning. You should go back, get some sleep.”

Michael started to shake his head.

“Take Mrs. Masini and Gabi back with you. Make sure they get home OK.”

“We can wait for you,” Gabi said.

“They want me to have another treatment, make sure I don’t have a relapse. It might be a while.”

“You can’t rest with all of us here, can you?” Mrs. Masini offered the best reason for them to leave. The older woman walked forward and patted Meg’s hand.

The jittery reaction to the medication made Meg’s hand shake terribly.

“Valentino will stay with you, bring you back when you’re ready,” Mrs. Masini told her.

Val pushed away from the wall. “I’d have it no other way, Mama.”

Michael kissed the back of her hand. “Are you sure?”

“Positive. I’ll be back by breakfast.” She took another look at the clock. “Maybe lunch.”

She accepted hugs and kisses before they all fled the small room.

Val pulled a chair alongside the gurney and took her hand. “What upset you, cara?”

His soft, pleading gaze turned hard with her first words. “There was a man . . .”

Chapter Sixteen

The Harrisons’ private jet landed on the small island to drop off and pick up.

Val stepped forward to greet Mr. and Mrs. Evans. The retired Marine met his eyes and offered a firm handshake. “Thank you for coming.”

“How’s Meg?” Judy Evans didn’t bother with pleasantries.

“Moaning that I’m making her leave.”

Rick Evans had a catchy smile. “Feeling better, then.”

“Much.” He walked them toward the golf cart that would drive them to the villa. “I’m sorry we’re meeting under these circumstances.”

“I’m happy someone is using their head. Meg can be difficult when she sets her mind to something.”

Val had been told that Judy and Meg were the best of friends and had been since college. Obviously, the woman knew her friend well.

“It’s a short drive,” Val told them. “It shouldn’t take long to have everything ready to go.”

Outside Meg’s villa, two golf carts were loaded with luggage. After they parked, Judy jumped out and worked her way into the villa.

Rick held back to talk to Val privately. “The reason for my presence here is only between you and me.”

“We can trust my security,” Val insisted.

“I’m sure you do, Mr. Masini.”

“Val, please.”

“Trust is earned, not given.”

Val conceded with a nod.

They walked in together and overheard Judy arguing with her friend. “You’re pale. A vampire has better color.”

“I don’t want anyone scaring me into changing my life.”

Judy placed her hands on her hips. “Are you forgetting who you’re talking to?”

“This isn’t the same thing, Judy. No one threatened me.”

Val would disagree with that. So did the others in the room. “Some guy wearing a hoodie and hiding his face corners you in an empty hall, and no one threatened you? Before someone gets hurt sounds like a threat to me.” Michael was pissed. “You ended up in the ER, Meg. We’re leaving, you’re coming with us, and that’s it!”

Margaret rubbed her chest and released a few coughs. Something Val had noticed a lot since she returned from the hospital. He stepped in. “Can everyone give us a few minutes, please?”

Ryder and Michael walked out the back door. Rick grabbed the last suitcase in the room and pulled Judy with him.

“Cara.” He took her by the hand and sat her on the couch. “What can you really do here?”

“I can help you find who’s behind this.”

Not without risking your own safety, he wanted to tell her. “You’re a beautiful distraction that will keep me from finding him. You heard the doctor, you need to rest and give the medication time to do its job.”

“I feel fine.” She punctuated her fineness with a cough. “Damn it,” she mumbled.

He decided to twist her arm to convince her to concede. “Gabi is looking forward to visiting Los Angeles and finding the perfect gown for her wedding. She hasn’t been off the island in some time. You can help me trace the e-mails, find their origin easier with the help of your friends. Michael will be safe from prying eyes.”